Gale Sayers on Rose's injury: 'It is going to be difficult'

April 30, 2012|By Fred Mitchell | Tribune reporter

Derrick Rose’s torn ACL stunned Chicago -- and was reminiscent of another injury 44 years ago.

In 1968, in a game against San Francisco at Wrigley Field, Bears halfback Gale Sayers took a pitch out from quarterback Virgil Carter. Sayers planted his right leg to make a cut on the turf, but 49ers cornerback Kermit Alexander lunged ahead at the leg to make the tackle. Sayers’ knee buckled.

He let out a scream in pain at the moment of impact. The fans groaned as Sayers lay on the ground before silence enveloped the stands.

Sayers was carted off the field by teammates and later learned that the ligaments on the medial side were destroyed, as well as the anterior cruciate ligament.

“When I had my injury, I had gotten hit and it hurt like hell,” Sayers said in a phone interview with the Tribune Monday from Las Vegas. “And watching the film with (Rose), it seemed like he came down wrong and it buckled on him. It looked like he got back up and he put his weight on it and he couldn’t stand on it. He fell back down.

“It’s too bad it happened and I think the Bulls had a great chance to go through at least two rounds of the playoffs. But it is going to be difficult now. They need him, no question about it, they need him. They have some other good players and they may get through the first and second rounds. But it’s going to be difficult.”

Sayers and Rose have similar personalities as superstar athletes. Both are shy and rather introverted. In the famous 1971 made-for-TV movie "Brian's Song," Sayers' relationship with Bears teammate BrianPiccolo was highlighted as Sayers went through his grueling knee rehabilitation. Sayers and Piccolo were the first interracial roommates on the road in the NFL.

Piccolo died of a rare form of cancer at the age of 26. As a Bears backup running back, Piccolo provided emotional support to Sayers during his knee rehabilitation in 1968 and '69.

“I didn’t think I would need any help. But my wife gave me some help. And also Brian Piccolo. I had a great relationship with Brian," Sayers said. "He would come by the house. He would see how I was doing.And you need that. You need that person, that friend who will come by and say: ‘How are you doing?’ If (Rose) can get somebody like that to help him now and then and come by every week or so and talk to you, that would be great.

“Because it is lonely; it is a very lonely thing to get an injury like that. You need somebody just to say: “Hey, I’m here for you. Do you need anything?’ If you can get somebody like that, you can make it, no question about it. You can make it. Whether it is a teammate, whether it is someone he is very, very close to, he needs that.”

Sayers, who has not met Rose, said he plans to visit Rose in the upcoming weeks following the surgery to offer support and encouragement.

“I will be back in town in about two weeks and I will definitely come by and see him. I will be there,” Sayers said.